‘Cyrus’ opens strongly in limited release

While most moviegoers cried alongside Woody and Buzz Lightyear this weekend, indie film fans in Los Angeles and New York went for the awkward charm of “Cyrus.”

The offbeat romantic comedy starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill opened to a sensational $180,289 at four theaters in the country’s two biggest cities. That’s a virtual tie for the best limited-release opening of the year, alongside Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer.”

The first studio-financed picture from writers-directors Jay and Mark Duplass benefited from positive reviews and an aggressive marketing campaign and now appears well positioned as distributor Fox Searchlight expands it nationwide over the next four weeks.

“This is so far beyond our expectations that it’s really exciting,” said Fox Searchlight President Stephen Gilula.

“Cyrus” did particularly well in Los Angeles, where it’s set, generating about 60% of its total receipts from the ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood and the Landmark in West L.A.

—Ben Fritz